Swan/Dolphin for Free or Polynesian?

[have2getaway]

We are all booked and set and super excited for our upcoming stay at the Polynesian in Jan., but I just discovered I have enough points for a free stay there for the week. Should we cancel at the Poly? We had a deal at Poly that was saving us close to $2000 and included dining. What would we give up by staying at the Swan or Dolphin? Can we still pay for the dining plan?

 

[BlueFairy]

You cannot get the dining plan at S/D. You cannot get Magical Express or room charging privileges. You still get EMH and free buses/boats/etc. You will pay a resort fee ($25 per day or something, can't get that on points). You will pay to park your car at the hotel but get free parking at the parks.

I have stayed twice at the Dolphin. Never at a monorail resort, but we have done BWV and WL. You will miss that Disney X factor. You will notice less theming. Otherwise, we found the service to be fantastic, if not better in some cases. Both hotels have just completed total overhauls on the rooms and they are beautiful. Lots of dining choices. In fact, when added to BW/YC/BC, you may have more dining options than on the monorail. No contest if you have hoppers and can eat at Epcot or HS, too. You have quick boat or walking access to 2 parks instead of 1.

Poly is on our bucket list, esp if we can save something like $2000!!!! But S/D for free wins out for us on value every time we have the option.

Here is the S/D FAQ.

 

[have2getaway]

Thank you for the feedback! I guess our points can only be used at the Dolphin and not the Swan. Is there a difference? Will a family of 5 (2 adults and 3 small kids) fit comfortably at the Dolphin?

 

[BlueFairy]

Ask over on the FAQ thread. They will know the answer to both. SPG points should be redeemable at both, although there is a difference it points pricing between the 2. I can't remember which has rooms that fit 5, but they are available. They may be an upcharge.

 

[mickey2minnie1]

It has been a while since I have stayed at the Dolphin and it is beautiful, but you got a great deal at the Poly. If the points will keep, you could save them and use them another time for another trip when things may be really tight and you need a vacation.

The Poly is amazing with children. The kids will be able to see the castle with the fireworks from the pool, so you wouldn't have to be in the mix. You can ride the monorail or take a boat. Monorail to Epcot as well. The food is awesome and kid friendly. Tiki lights at night are romantic. Music played throughout and Disney surrounds you.

I have offered to stay luxury now that my kids are older just to try, but staying at the Poly was so magical our first time that they dont want to stay anywhere else. It has been hard convincing them to try something new, especially if the budget calls for it. The Poly is our home resort.

Good luck! Great problem to have.

 

[have2getaway]

It has been a while since I have stayed at the Dolphin and it is beautiful, but you got a great deal at the Poly. If the points will keep, you could save them and use them another time for another trip when things may be really tight and you need a vacation.

The Poly is amazing with children. The kids will be able to see the castle with the fireworks from the pool, so you wouldn't have to be in the mix. You can ride the monorail or take a boat. Monorail to Epcot as well. The food is awesome and kid friendly. Tiki lights at night are romantic. Music played throughout and Disney surrounds you.

I have offered to stay luxury now that my kids are older just to try, but staying at the Poly was so magical our first time that they dont want to stay anywhere else. It has been hard convincing them to try something new, especially if the budget calls for it. The Poly is our home resort.

Good luck! Great problem to have.

Thanks so much. this gives clarity to points we were already considering! We have the money this year and these points could be saved for a repeat trip next year when we might try Universal Studios, or we could save the points for something for just DH and I. After more research, I discovered we would still have to pay a $25 a day resort fee and a $25 a day rollout bed fee. It appears the dolphin only has double beds and swan has queen beds, but not sure if this is true? (Use of points isn't available at Swan that week). DH and I can't do a double bed! Also, we already have dining plans based around us staying at Poly. I don't want to have to adjust everything again! We'd have to add in the cost to replace the magical express and cost for magic bands. DH is pretty frustrated that I keep changing things, but glad I looked into saving us money. As we have the money this year for the trip already planned, we're inclined to leave things as is. The heavenly bed would be great...if it was a queen bed!

 

[allsaintsatx]

Booked, set and excited? AND saving 2000? AND free dining? That's like a dream come true!! I agree with you, leave it as is. And the Poly is amazing BTW. We stayed there in March and it was like a whole different experience for us. Being able to take a 5 min monorail ride from our resort to MK whenever we wanted to was almost surreal.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I will agree. Keep your reservation as is. We've stayed at both the Dolphin and the Swan and much prefer the Swan. The rooms were just re-done, the beds are incredibly comfortable, staff is great and we like the smaller, more intimate lobby in the Swan. The location for both, of course, is fantastic. If you were just starting your planning now, it might be a no brainer to book the Dolphin with points, but I wouldn't rearrange everything now. The Poly is fantastic!

 

[evilqueenmindy]

Keep your reservation at Poly. The extra space in the room alone is worth it, also you get a nice balcony, a gorgeous pool, a view of the castle from the resort.
I've stayed at both poly and dolphin, prefer Poly by a lot.
Dolphin is fine, but I don't care for all the extra charges, the rooms are smaller, not being able to charge to your room in the park is annoying, and we found their onsite counter service restaurants to be more pricey than the Disney hotels.
Also, it's not as fun a resort for kids, and you share the big pool with Swan, so that can get very crowded.

 

[Dave006]

Keep your reservation at Poly. The extra space in the room alone is worth it, also you get a nice balcony, a gorgeous pool, a view of the castle from the resort...

Just a note on balconies. Only the Poly DVC rooms have a balcony on both the 2nd and 3rd floor rooms. For the other Poly longhouses, second floor rooms don't have a balcony.

Dave

 

[BlueFairy]

Thanks so much. this gives clarity to points we were already considering! We have the money this year and these points could be saved for a repeat trip next year when we might try Universal Studios, or we could save the points for something for just DH and I. After more research, I discovered we would still have to pay a $25 a day resort fee and a $25 a day rollout bed fee. It appears the dolphin only has double beds and swan has queen beds, but not sure if this is true? (Use of points isn't available at Swan that week). DH and I can't do a double bed! Also, we already have dining plans based around us staying at Poly. I don't want to have to adjust everything again! We'd have to add in the cost to replace the magical express and cost for magic bands. DH is pretty frustrated that I keep changing things, but glad I looked into saving us money. As we have the money this year for the trip already planned, we're inclined to leave things as is. The heavenly bed would be great...if it was a queen bed!

You are correct on the beds. Swan has queens, Dolphin has doubles. If you have old magic bands, they still work, but the rooms are not equipped with scanners. You get a key card for all resort charging and your room. Balconies are about 50/50 at the S and D.

 

[have2getaway]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback! We have decided 100% not to change a thing! We are just too excited for our reservation at the Poly!

 

[SA mom]

FYI: a GREAT use of the points is at the Sheraton Park in Annaheim, a 10 minute walk to Disneyland. They have a wonderful club level lounge and you can book club level on points. Plus, they have queen beds. And the California weather is so dreamy in the summer.

 

[BlueFairy]

FYI: a GREAT use of the points is at the Sheraton Park in Annaheim, a 10 minute walk to Disneyland. They have a wonderful club level lounge and you can book club level on points. Plus, they have queen beds. And the California weather is so dreamy in the summer.

Yes. We've done that too. It was a great trip. The hotel has a nice pool and our room had a view of the parks and fireworks.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I would also stick with the Poly and use the points for another trip.

 

[mickeynut1]

We have decided 100% not to change a thing! We are just too excited for our reservation at the Poly!

I think you made the right choice! The Poly is amazing, hope you have a great trip .